


Absence

by tattooeddevil



Category: Leverage
Genre: Gen, Non-Graphic Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-06
Updated: 2013-11-06
Packaged: 2017-12-31 16:48:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1034008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tattooeddevil/pseuds/tattooeddevil
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for comment-fic on LJ, for the prompt "Why are you still here?"</p><p>Hardison tries to take care of Eliot after the events of The Rundown Job, but Eliot isn't having it. Hardison just can't take it anymore.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Absence

**Author's Note:**

  * For [storiesfortravellers](https://archiveofourown.org/users/storiesfortravellers/gifts).



Eliot glared at him from his position propped up against the pillows of his bed.

"Why are you still here?"

Hardison shrugged, trying to pretend like he wasn't affected by Eliot's angry growl, and simply continued picking up the bloodied clothes around the bed.

"Because somebody needs to keep an eye on your sorry ass."

Eliot growled again, rolling his eyes. "Well, I don't want you here."

Hardison had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep the hurt wince from showing on the outside, to maintain his calm. He had to keep up a mantra of 'This is Eliot, he always acts like an ass when he's hurt' to remind himself it wasn't anything personal. But the truth was his patience with Eliot was wearing thin and he was this-close to just screaming at him. Personal or not, Eliot's words stung and he couldn't just let them roll off his back anymore.

"Tough. I'm not going anywhere."

But then Eliot sighed deeply and pinned Hardison in place with an angry scowl.

"Jesus **christ** , Hardison, will you just go the fuck **away**? I. Don't. Want. You. Here."

Something snapped inside of Hardison and before he knew it, he had thrown aside the ruined clothes and was looming over Eliot's hurt form in the bed, yelling at him. He was seeing red, his mouth running off without any control from his brain, and he spewed all of his pent up frustrations at Eliot.

"You know what, Eliot? One day! One day you'll get your way and you'll be so damn sorry that you did. Because we **will** walk away! We will all walk away and leave your goddamn stubborn, obnoxious, infuriating ass behind and you'll have nothing left. You'll be alone and miserable and lonely, because you know damn well that you care for us and we care for you!"

Eliot opened his mouth to rebute, but Hardison cut him off with a menacing finger. "No! No, you do **not** get to talk right now. You did enough talking for now. You're gonna listen and you're gonna hear me. Because you always do this. You always push us away when you're hurt, even when you get hurt saving us. Do you ever stop to think about the fact that we feel horrible when you get hurt? Do you ever consider the fact that we want to return the favour if only a little, by taking care of you?"

Hardison barely registered the crack in Eliot's shell, but he saw it enough to know he finally, maybe was getting through to his friend.

"You took a damn **bullet** for us today, man! You could have been killed, we all could have been killed, and you just act like it's nothing. It is **not** nothing! It's everything, man!"

He deflated, suddenly tired. "It's everything, Eliot."

Hardison let himself flop down on the edge of Eliot's bed and he stared at his hands.

"We're a team now, you said that yourself. It's not just you anymore, man. And we lo--care about you. And it is really, really shitty to be brushed off like an annoying bug every time we want to do something nice for you. You almost got killed today, Eliot, and I don't think I--"

He nearly choked on the overwhelming emotion when he thought back to that moment earlier that day, when the gunshot rang through that subway cart followed by Eliot's pained groan. He couldn't react to it then, in the midst of the chaos and confusion and then Parker with the briefcase and the gas escaping and--

"Hardison!"

Eliot's voice cut through his panic, his hand on Hardison's chin forcing him to look Eliot in the eye. "You with me?"

Hardison took a few shaky breaths before nodding. "Yeah. You shouldn't be sitting up."

Eliot rolled his eyes, but there was a smile playing around his lips too. Hardison didn't know what it meant, but he thought he might actually have said something right for a change.

"Yes, mother."

Eliot laid back down against his pillows with a soft groan, giving Hardison some room to get his breath back and force his hands to stop moving. The events from earlier that day, the crazy scientist and the deadly gas, the gunshot and Parker, had shaken Hardison to the core.

Eliot stayed quiet and just watched him as he got his emotions under control.

"I'm sorry for yelling, man. I'm sorry."

When Eliot didn't respond, Hardison glanced at him. That same smile was still on his face, but it was now accompanied by soft eyes and when they met Hardison's, Eliot chuckled. Actually **chuckled**.

"I don't think I have ever seen you this bad-ass, you geek."

That startled a laugh from Hardison and before he knew it, they were both laughing so hard, tears were streaming down their cheeks. It was as if all the tension and danger of the day got released, and they couldn't stop laughing until they ran out of breath. 

Hardison felt better, lighter, even though he hadn't actually accomplished anything by finally giving Eliot a piece of his mind other than making Eliot smile and laugh.

But maybe that was enough.

It was enough for now anyway, and Hardison got up to return to his previous task.

"Eliot man, next time you do your own washing. Or how about you try to get through **one** con without bleeding all over yourself?"

Eliot smirked. "I'll stop bleeding all over myself if you stop needing to be rescued."

Hardison couldn't continue the joke. In truth, he would never stop needing rescuing if it meant Eliot would stay.

"Never."

Eliot nodded once. "Good."


End file.
